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Jose Mourinho's Manchester United return ends in defeat for Tottenham thanks to Marcus Rashford

Not the return he wanted: Jose Mourinho, manager of Tottenham Hotspur shakes hands with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, manager of Manchester United - Getty Images Europe
Not the return he wanted: Jose Mourinho, manager of Tottenham Hotspur shakes hands with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, manager of Manchester United - Getty Images Europe

This was a return to the Theatre of Dreams that Jose Mourinho will not have wanted to imagine but one that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must have fantasised about. Mourinho’s re-appearance, a year to the month he was dismissed by Manchester United, ended in a limp defeat as Tottenham Hotspur lost for the first time since he was appointed. The Humble One did not expect to be humbled and although he remained restrained throughout how he will have dreamt of getting one over the club that felt he was not that special any more.

There would be no knee slide, no fist pump, no tapping of his chest for Mourinho as he watched Marcus Rashford inspire United to victory and in doing so went a long way towards relieving the mounting pressure on Solskjaer in what feels like a defining week for him ahead of Saturday’s Manchester derby. United also had the bonus of going above Spurs in a Premier League table which suddenly looks far more healthy for them.

At the end, Mourinho sought out each United player, as well as those from Spurs, but maybe it was telling that he lingered longest with the impressive Scott McTominay who was something of a project for him – his one success story? – at Old Trafford. As they spoke briefly, the Stretford End sang “Ole, Ole, Ole” and the United manager responded jubilantly. Later he said McTominay was “undroppable”.

How that chant would have been sweet music for Solskjaer in what was comfortably the most satisfying performance of a difficult season, one of the best he has felt in the past 12 months, as he was acutely aware of the headlines and analysis awaiting him if he had been schooled by Mourinho, who was relatively subdued as was his team apart from one gifted moment from Dele Alli.

Bizarrely, United have now beaten Chelsea, Leicester City and Tottenham in winning just five of their 15 league games so far this campaign and are the only team to have taken points off Liverpool, while Spurs will have felt this was a reality check – “a wake-up call,” Alli said - after the euphoria of Mourinho’s initial impact. It was their first loss after three victories but in every game they have conceded two goals which is very un-Mourinho-like and something he has little time to work on with fixtures coming thick and fast.

Jose Mourinho getting cleaned out by the sliding Daniel James  - Credit: PA
The highlight of the first, or indeed any other, 45 was Jose Mourinho getting cleaned out by the sliding Daniel James Credit: PA

“They had more emotion than us,” he conceded, maybe in a reference to everyone being fired up because he was back on the scene, with the home fans raucous, before an accurate if withering comment that United are better-suited to defensive football which will not have bothered Solskjaer one bit.

It was not just Rashford and McTominay who responded by Jesse Lingard, the subject of criticism by Mourinho, and Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, who had also been spoken about sceptically by the Portuguese who will have visualised the long walk from the tunnel to the dug-outs prior to kick off. As he made his way he actually appeared a little nervous with a wink and a wave as he then waited for Solskjaer before embracing the one who replaced him.

Soon, Mourinho was striding more purposefully as, with little over six minutes played, Spurs fell behind as Lingard ran down a pass forward from Fred, was clumsily challenged by Davinson Sanchez with the ball breaking to Rashford who struck a powerful, instinctive right-foot shot that caught out Paulo Gazzaniga, the goalkeeper palming it in off his near post.

Marcus Rashford of Manchester United scores their first goal during the Premier League - Credit: Tom Purslow/Manchester United via Getty Images
Main man: Marcus Rashford of Manchester United scores the first of his brace Credit: Tom Purslow/Manchester United via Getty Images

It became the Rashford show. The 22-year-old forward received the ball 30 yards out and struck a fierce, dipping drive that Gazzaniga superbly tipped onto his cross-bar before it cannoned away. Then he attempted to bend the ball around Gazzaniga with the Argentinian, who also saved well from Mason Greenwood, pushing it out. In fact, every time Rashford gained possession there was a delicious air of expectation.

To add injury to the insult of Spurs conceding so early there was a painful whack for Mourinho on his shin as Harry Winks dived into a tackle on the touchline, sending Daniel James into the technical area with his head hitting the Spurs head coach on the lower leg. Mourinho shrugged that off and, out of nothing, Spurs shrugged off the deficit with another vital intervention by the rejuvenated Alli.

It came as a Jan Vertonghen cross was inadvertently headed on to Moussa Sissiko by Fred with his volley brilliantly beaten out by David De Gea. Fred was again at fault as the ball looped high in the air with Alli proving too strong and too skilful as he took it down deftly to thrash a cross-shot into the net. What an expert, accomplished strike and one that was all of Alli’s clever, intuitive making.

Dele Alli (R) shoots past Manchester United's Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea - Credit: AFP via Getty Images
Rare highlight: Dele Alli's solo spectacular was the only moment to remember for Spur Credit: AFP via Getty Images

How would United respond? The answer was magnificently or rather magnificently through the irrepressible Rashford who, early in the second-half, nut-megged Serge Aurier and ran at Sissoko inside the Spurs area with the midfielder panicking – as is his wont - and bringing him down. The penalty was given and Rashford, whose record has been patchy, calmly sent Gazzaniga the wrong way to restore United’s lead with Mourinho furious at how slowly his players had reacted to an initial throw-in. “Asleep,” Mourinho said dismissively.

Would Spurs wake up? United defended deeper, Solskjaer made substitutions to shore that up, but there was never any concerted charge by Spurs who had to wait until injury time to force a save from De Gea who held another Alli half-volley. The crowd responded. They felt the finishing line was in sight and United made it over. Solskjaer will hope though that this finally signals the start of their season just as Mourinho’s Spurs’ revival suffers its first set-back.

9:25PM

Full time: Man United 2 Spurs 1

That'll do it! A great win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose Manchester United side have handed Jose Mourinho his first defeat as Tottenham boss.

This tweet sums it up nicely!

I will hand you over to Mr Jason Burt.

9:24PM

90+ mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1               

Last chance?  Ball played in, Dele gathers it and smashes a shot on the turn, but it bounces into the ground and de Gea can get hold of it without too much difficulty.

9:23PM

90+ mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1               

Shaw plays a good ball, Rashford is onto it.... oh this is a great chance. Rash looks a bit weary and the moment passes.

9:22PM

90 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1             

It is Spurs who are having all the ball now. United dug in. Vertonghen crosses and Wanners-Bisakkers charges it down for a corner. That is easily dealt with.

United have a golden opportunity on the break to finish it. They get themselves caught offside.

9:20PM

89 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1             

Lo Celso stumbles and loses the ball, bringing to an end a period of Spurs possession and territory.

9:19PM

87 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1           

A ponderous move from Spurs reaches a fizzling anti-climax as Ndombele scuffs a shot from distance. The much-maligned Fred got out of defence well to close that down.

The second half hasn't really happened. Neither side put anything much together.

9:17PM

85 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1           

It is time for Jesse Lingard to have a rest and perhaps a biscuit.

9:16PM

84 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1         

Sissoko, who has been a disappointment, comes off and Lo Celso. Can Lo Celso, on loan from Ooh Betis, turn the tide?

9:10PM

80 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1         

Greenwood's coming off. Pereira, whose shirt says Andreas on the back, comes on. Andreas goes out to the right, Rash into the centre.

9:09PM

79 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1       

Ndombele with a decent ball that sets Son free, he whips a cross in but overhits it. Aurier cannot reach.

9:08PM

77 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1       

Spurs have the ball. Can they create something? United have sat back.

9:06PM

73mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1     

United have got a blunder in them, I feel, but Spurs not able to do the simple things well enough often enough to put any pressure on them.

9:04PM

71 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1     

McTominay and Gazzaniga have a bit of handbags when the former refuses to give the latter the ball.

9:00PM

70 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1   

Aurier with an excellent run, receives it on the right and crosses, but that is also a poor delivery. Still, Spurs gete a corner out of it.

Winks off  Ndombele on.

8:59PM

69 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1   

Son on the break, this looks promising, Sissoko receives it on the right and plays a.... wretched hoof of a pass that sails into the waiting arms of David de Gea.

8:55PM

64 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1 

Moura has run his race and comes off. So-so sort of effort for him. Some decent flashes but did not consistently hurt United.

Eriksen comes on. The wantaway Dane has been linked with a move here. If the United fans want him to come join them at OT, they don't make too big a show of it. Keeping him keen like. Negging him, so to speak.

8:52PM

62 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1 

Here's James, it has opened up for him and he tries an attractive curling shot. But easy get for the keeper. Alderweierld put James under enough pressure to distract.

8:48PM

59 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1 

Fred is stopped by Winks - a clean fair tackle, no less.

8:47PM

58 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1

United looking nice. Rashford at the heart, or perhaps rather the tip, of most the good things.

Mourinho finally making United look good etc etc ha hazzzzzzzzzzzz

8:42PM

52 mins: Man United 2 Spurs 1

Moura with a long, deep ball and it's that man Son on the end of it. He waits, he pauses, he's waiting for a shooting opportunity to open up as he cuts inside. Fred, the hero of the hour, hurls himself in the way and blocks the shot.

8:39PM

GOAL! Man United 2 Spurs 1 (Rashford 49p)

A long wait for Rashford. The ref is fussing around everyone at the edge of the box. Icing the kicker....

Eventually Rashford can step up.... GOAL!  He waits for the keeper to go right and he puts it to the goalie's left.

Rashford really is the main man in this side. Only just 22.

8:37PM

46 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 1

Rashford spins away from Aurier, takes on Sissoko... drives into the box... Sissoko has trodden on his foot and that's a pretty solid penalty shout for me.

It is indeed given. VAR can do nothing here. Rashford will take the pen in front of the Stretford End. 75 seconds of the half gone.

8:35PM

The players are back out

The teams will start us off by... both booting it up the air a lot.

8:20PM

HT: Man United 1 Spurs 1 

Three minutes added on. A relatively quiet end to a busy and bustling first half which saw United go ahead on a goalie error, before Dele Alli cancelled out Rashford's opener with a lovely flick and finish. Overall though, Spurs have been second best and Mourinho has to earn his corn now.

8:16PM

42 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 1 

Nasty clash between Rashford and the Spurs keeper. Rash comes off worse, gets a sharpener in the ribs. Ow. They were both chasing for the ball fair and square.

8:15PM

42 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 1

Spurs lucky to be on terms because they have done nowt.

8:11PM

GOAL! Dele Alli with a magnificent goal

GOAL! BRILLIANT GOAL FOR SPURS! Son with a mazy run, drives, dribbles, twists, wriggles... and is eventually stopped. It is played back in by Vertonghen. Hhaded on by Kane, half cleared, rising drama in the area.. Alli brings the ball down with a simply glorious touch.

He flicks it over his head and takes two defenders out of the game before hammering it home.

Oh no... has it touched his hand as he gathers?

Eventually VAR rules that he had not. Phew.

Herewith your statutory reminder that VAR is a terrible idea, only advocated for by ghouls and fools.

Man United 1 Spurs 1 (Alli 39)

8:04PM

31 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0         

Son, who has been very quiet gets on the ball and distributes it out to Aurier down the right. The Ivorian crosses the ball, but it's a very poor do. Sails out for a goalkick with nobody adjacent.

8:00PM

29 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0         

Lingard joining in the fun now, he's surged into the box and curled one at goal. Doesn't come back enough.

7:59PM

27 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0       

Rashford's at it again! Another fierce hit. United have a corner. Cleared. Comes back at them. Spurs are clinging onto the ropes here.

7:57PM

25 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0       

Rashford! He's picked it and absolutely banjoed it, it smashes against the crossbar. Did Gazzaniga tip it onto the bar?

He did, on further reflection.

7:56PM

24 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0     

That's more like it! nice football United. James electric down the wing, plays into Rash, who effects a cute flick on. Greenwood! Nice crisp hit but well saved. Corner. Something from the training ground but... it breaks down embarrassingly.

Oh my days Fred has just had a dibble and it nearly went out for a throw in. It was practically parallel to where he hit it from, 25 yards out.

7:53PM

22 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0     

Game hasn't caught fire so far. Spurs haven't had a shot on target and United really haven't done all that much either apart from that shot from Rashers that Gazzaniga let in at the near post.

I had a dream last night that Gazza came into our work. He was really nice.

7:50PM

19 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0   

Rashford whips the freekick with his right foot and it is curling away from the goal like a nice outswinger - RIP Big Bob by the way - and Gazzaniga wisely leaves the ball alone, in the way that an England opening batsman... wouldn't.

7:49PM

17 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0   

Another awful bit of tekkers in the tackle from Spurs, whose Sissoko has followed through with a high foot and caught Fred on the knee. The moment seems to have passed - but VAR is now being invoked.

Nothing comes of the VAR.

7:46PM

15 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0 

Alli flicks it up and McTominay fouls him. The medical team are giving James the once-over, he looked flat out there for a second.

7:46PM

14 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0 

Ooh bit of drama.

Winks with one of his trademark wild tackles, sliding in and he cleans out James. He slides into touch and he's clattered into Mourinho! Oh wow. He's smashed his head into the knee of Mouirnho and then skidded to a halt on the bricks. Oooh. Don't see that every day.

7:43PM

12 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0

Kane gets it up over the wall nicely enough but cannot get it down again in time and the ball floats over the bar.

7:42PM

10 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0

Kane is first to the ball, Fred has chopped him and that gives Spurs a nice freekick placement just outside the box.

7:40PM

8 mins: Man United 1 Spurs 0

And United come again. Young down the left wing, he tries to play it in. Lucas blocks it.

7:39PM

GOAL! Manchester United 1 Tottenham 0 (Rashford 6)

A fairly anodyne situation, or so it seems. Fred plays it forward, via a deflection it reaches Lingard, and Aurier goes to sleep! Lingard plays it to Rashford who shoots hard at the near post, and a bad goalkeeping mistake lets it in at the near post. Rubbish from Spurs.

7:35PM

3 mins: Man United 0 Spurs 0

Glenn Hoddle: "Tottenham are certainly more prepared to play it long, to put balls in behind under Jose."

7:34PM

2 mins: Man United 0 Spurs 0

And it's United who are enjoying most of the early possession, albeit without much positive intent so far.

7:33PM

1 mins: Man United 0 Spurs 0

Rashford out on the right and Greenwood through the middle. United have the ball.

7:32PM

Tottenham will kick off

In their famous white.

7:26PM

The players are in the tunnel

Ashley Young has the armband, and it is a rainbow one too. Sounds like a really good atmosphere there. The Stone Roses song is starting up..

People have been debating what, if anything, Amaon are doing differently. I'd say there is more than the usual amount of camera time in the tunnel.

7:19PM

Jose Mourinho

"Good to be back, I've shaken a few hands.good people, nice people. Some congratulations that I left here!"

"When you have so many matches, it is normal to make a few changes."

Manager Jose Mourinho of Tottenham Hotspur arrives ahead of the Premier League match vs Manchester United - Credit: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Welcome back: there were plenty of familiar faces for Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford Credit: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

7:15PM

Well, everyone doing a

decent job in the Amazon punditry so far, in my view. It's good to see Jim Rosenthal back on my football telly. What a splendid man.

7:05PM

Good opportunity for the merch vendors

General view of a fan wearing a scarf bearing the faces of Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho and Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Credit: Reuters
Guess who's back: merch vendors were getting stuck into Jose Mourinho's Old Trafford return Credit: Reuters

6:35PM

United thoughts

VERY exciting to see young M Greenwood up front, a lad who looks to have brilliant future ahead. Some less exciting other names on the teamsheet, poor old Fred gets another chance to work off some of that fifty millions pounds.

Scott McT is back. Martial is absent through injury, that is a setback.

6:34PM

Tottenham thoughts

Mourinho names an attacking side, everyone was expecting that Eric Dier might be the midfielder who benefited from the new regime, but 28 minutes in Europe and a spot on the admittedly plush and comfy OT benches suggests that he may not be the solution in the eyes of the new boss. Winks and Sissoko hasn't really worked all that well as a two for Spurs in the past. And Eriksen still cannot get in the XI.

6:31PM

Team news

Man Utd: de Gea, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Young, McTominay, Fred, James, Lingard, Rashford, Greenwood. Subs:  Mata, Andreas Pereira, Romero, Shaw, Garner, Tuanzebe, Williams.

Tottenham Hotspur: Gazzaniga, Aurier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Winks, Sissoko, Lucas Moura, Alli, Son, Kane. Subs:  Rose, Dier, Lo Celso, Foyth, Eriksen, Ndombele, Austin.

Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire)

6:18PM

Jose Mourinho

is back at Old Trafford, bringing his new Tottenham Hotspur side to face Manchester United. We will have all the team news from Manchester United versus Tottenham any minute now, probably on the half hour I suppose.

This match is on Amazon Prime, so it will be interesting to see how they handle their first essential Premier League game. Also on tonight, another huge fixture, the Merseyside Derby, which will be contested at Anfield as Liverpool welcome Everton. Obviously. You can follow that one with m'coll Pippa Field.

But on this page, we will have all the news, views, gossip and action as the Jose Mourinho show rolls into town. JJ Bull has some thoughts about how they might get after wee Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United team, a distinctly mediocre outfit in many way and, JJ argues, ideally set up for a Mourinho side to give them a hiding.

James Ducker, meanwhile, reckons that there might be hope for the OGS Project in the longer term. Only problem is that they need to start winning games in the short term.